Penn State Football: Week Six Review and Week Seven Preview

Week Six Review

Penn State earned their first meaningful road victory of the season by defeating Purdue 20-6 on Saturday.  I had originally predicted the Nittany Lions to defeat Purdue by a score of 16-9 in my article from the beginning of the summer, and modified this prediction slightly to 24-9 in my article last week.  Both predictions were about the same accuracy. 

The 20 points for the Penn State offense was their worst point total by 18 points this season.  Missing their top receiver, Jordan Norwood, for a second straight game started to take a toll on the PSU offense. 

Penn State had three receivers with over 30 yards receiving on the game but had no receivers with more than 53 yards.  The lack of a go-to receiver hurt the PSU offense with regards to capitalizing on scoring opportunities, even though their yardage statistics remained impressive.

Daryll Clark threw for 220 yards on 18 for 26 passing but had no touchdown passes.  He did have a QB sneak for a touchdown for the game’s first score midway through the second quarter.

Evan Royster continued his outstanding pace for the season by rushing for 143 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown run in the third quarter to put Penn State ahead by a three-possession margin.  Stephfon Green also had a successful game, running for 58 yards on only seven attempts.

Despite some impressive statistics from the offense, the Penn State defense was the highlight of this game by far.

The Nittany Lions did not allow Purdue to score a point until there were only six minutes left in the game, thanks in part to two Purdue missed field goals in the first half.  PSU allowed less than 250 yards of total offense and fewer than 100 yards net rushing to the Boilermakers.

With the decrease in productivity from the offense and an increasingly impressive defense, this year’s Penn State squad is looking more and more like a traditional Penn State team.  This could just be a reflection of the Big Ten style of play, but if PSU wants to contend for a National Title, they will need the explosive and high-scoring offense from earlier in the season.

While the slow start offensively is understandable for the first Big Ten road game of the season, a quicker start will be imperative in upcoming road games for the Nittany Lions.

Week Seven Preview

This Saturday Penn State has a prime time showdown with traditional Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin. This is the second straight home night game for the Badgers, who have dropped out of the Top 25 rankings after losing their first two Big Ten games by narrow margins to Michigan and Ohio State.

In my prior article, I had predicted Penn State to lose this game by a score of 26-17.  Keep in mind that this was well before the start of the season.

After seeing and analyzing Penn State’s performance throughout the season, I now think they can win this game.  However, playing against a hungry and desperate Badger team will make it very hard for the Nittany Lions to come out of this on top.  I think it will take a superb effort from the PSU offense, defense, and special teams to keep their dream of an undefeated season alive.

If Penn State plays like they have in the past two games, then I expect my prediction for a loss to hold.  But if the Penn State team comes out expecting a fight and plays passionately to preserve their National Title hopes, then PSU should win this game.  It still won’t be easy, but I think that Penn State will win by a score of 30-20.

Realistically, the only way I see Penn State coming out to play with the sense of urgency necessary for this game is if Jordan Norwood is able to participate.  Norwood is PSU’s best threat over the middle, is their primary target on third downs, and is one of the main leaders on offense that brings in play calls.

It is no surprise that the offensive point totals for Penn State have dropped significantly in the two weeks that they have played without the services of Norwood.

I fully expect (and hope) Norwood will play in this game.  If he doesn’t, then the Nittany Lions might need a repeat performance from Derrick Williams from the Illinois game, which is not likely to happen. 

I expect the Badger defense to concentrate their game plan on stopping Evan Royster.  Royster should still be able to have some success, but only if Clark can open up the defense with early success in the passing game.

The key to the game will be a good start.  If Penn State comes out with a conservative offense, then the advantage for the game shifts heavily to Wisconsin.  Offensively, I’d really like to see some early downfield passes from Clark, and I think it is crucial for the defense to keep Wisconsin from scoring on their first drive.

If Penn State wins this game, the Nittany Lions have to be considered to be solidly in the National Championship picture.